There are actuating arrangements for gearboxes, in particular for double clutch transmission gearboxes having more than one gear path. Such actuating arrangements are used in particular in motor vehicles having a drive motor generating a driving torque which is transmissive along a torque flow from a drive shaft via the gearbox to an output shaft. The gear paths of the gearbox are arranged in parallel to each other and each gear path may comprise one, two or more gear ratios which can be individually shifted into the torque flow, i.e. can be engaged individually. The driving torque can be continually passed from one gear path to another gear path.
Such gearboxes or transmissions are, for example, known as so-called double clutch transmission gearboxes which usually have two parallel gear paths, each gear path being separable from the drive shaft by means of a clutch.
For changing the speeds, a driving ratio is engaged in each of the gear paths. If, for example, it is shifted from the first speed of the gearbox to the second speed of the gearbox, the first speed is engaged in the first gear path, and the second speed is engaged in the second gear path. Then, by actuating the clutches connecting the first and second gear paths to the drive shaft, the torque flow is shifted from the first gear path in which the first speed is engaged to the second gear path in which the second speed is engaged. To do this, the first clutch connecting the first gear path to the drive shaft is disengaged while the second clutch connecting the second gear path to the drive shaft is engaged. The engagement of the second clutch and the disengagement of the first clutch is coordinated such that an interruption of the torque flow is minimized or avoided. When the torque flow is fully shifted to the second gear path and the complete drive torque flows via the second gear path, the driving ratio engaged in the first gear path, which is now load free, may be shifted, for example, from the first speed to the third speed. Then, if it is desired to shift from the second gear to the third gear, the torque flow is continually redirected to the first gear path by disengaging the second clutch and engaging the first clutch at the same time. Thus, a continuous shifting operation can be performed between the two gear paths, where no torque flow interruption occurs.
As apparent from the above explanation, the two gear paths form two independent sub-transmissions, in each of which driving ratios may be engaged or changed independently from the respective other gear path. Due to this, in each gearbox of this type, each gear path has its own actuators, for example for shifting or selecting the speeds, and for allowing that each gear path may be actuated independently of the actuators assigned to the other gear path.
With known actuators, for example with actuators in which a selector finger is displaced for carrying out a selection operation such that the selector finger may engage different shift forks and in which a shifting operation is carried out by the selector finger actuating, for example via a shift fork, a shifting sleeve for engaging or disengaging a transmission ratio, a selection movement corresponding to a movement of the selector finger to another shift fork is no longer possible when a transmission ratio or speed is in engagement.
Hereby, it is in particular disadvantageous that two basically identical actuators for shifting the driving or gear ratios of such gearbox in the two gear paths have to be provided, negatively influencing the space required by such gearbox and the cost for manufacturing such gearbox.